Separating apparatus.



W. S. AYRES.

SEPARATING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.13, 1907.

Patented Apr. 28, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

W. S. AYRES.

SEPARATING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.13, 1907.

1,094,621 Patented Apr. 28, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2. v

wi tweooao STATES WALLACE S. AYRES, 0F HAZLETON, PENNSYLVANIA.

SEIARATING APPARATUS.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, \VALLAOE S. AYREs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hazleton, in the county of Luzerne and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Separating Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a separating apparatus and is a further development along the line of the apparatus disclosed in my Patent #798,385, issued August 29, 1905.

The machine disclosed in the patent involves in one embodiment of the invention, an endless separating floor which is inclined both longitudinally and transversely, the upper run of the floor being movable in an upward transverse direct-ion. Over this floor, a stream of material such as coal and slate gravitates longitudinally, that portion of the material, as for instance, the coal, whose angle of repose is less than that of the transverse inclination of the table remaining adjacent to the guide which is provided for the stream. As this portion of the material flows along the guide to a coal chute located at the lower end thereof, that port-ion of the material, to wit, the slate, whose angle of repose is greater than the transverse inclination of the floor will be carried out of the main stream by the upward movement of the floor in a transverse direction, and will be deposited in the slate chute disposed in a position to receive the slate as it drops over the upper longitudinal edge of the floor after its separation from the coal.

The present machine operates upon the underlying principle involved in the abovedescribed separation, but the object of the apparatus is to provide for a more effectual separation by forming a trough, each side of which will operate as an independent separator, so that the slate or the like will be withdrawn from the main stream in opposite directions, thus permitting the employment of a larger stream and effecting a greater separation in a given period of travel of the material.

A further object of the invention is to provide for a series of separations by providing a plurality of troughs, of the charac- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 13, 1907.

Patented Apr. 28, 19M

Serial No. 362,171.

ter above described, in connection with an arrangement of chutes whereby the material carried out of the main stream by one trough will be fed to another at a point removed from the main stream so that while the main stream is subjected to successive separations by successive chutes, the material carried out of the main stream will likewise be successively acted upon so that any coal carried out of the stream with the slate may gravitate back to the main stream; whereas, any slate which has been held in the main stream, while passing over one trough, will be acted upon and removed as the stream passes over one of the succeeding troughs.

To the accomplishment of these objects and others subordinate thereto, the preferred embodiments of the invention reside in those constructions and arrangements of parts to be hereinafter described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and succinctly defined in the appended claims.

In said drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a separating apparatus constructed in accordance with my invention, and involving a single trough. Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic View of a slightly different arrangement of the endless belts constituting the trough sections. Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing one arrangement of successive troughs, and Fig. lis a similar view showing an arrangement of troughs whereby the material removed from the main stream is subjected to a second separation by a trough located directly below the one to which the material is first fed.

Each part is indicated by the same reference character in all of the views.

The primary element of the apparatus is a trough 1 formed by a pair of endless belts 2 and 3 disposed at opposite angles and constituting the side sections of the trough. The belt 2 is passed around inner and outer rotary supports t and 5 which may be in the form of rollers, and the belt 3 is passed around similar supports 6 and 7. The two inner rollers 4 and 6 are journaled in standards 8 located at the opposite ends of a base frame 9 which may be of any suitable construction, the general scheme of mountajn 1,094,621

tus l 1mg coaxially connected. at their inner enls to the standards 8. liars 13 are extended between the inner and outer standards and are pivotally connected thereto ceaxially with the rollers of the respective sections of the trough. It will be seen that by this 'raugement each side section of tl e trough may be adjusted vertically to vary its transverse inclination, the pivotal connection of the several and the standards permitting}; the necessary changes in their relative angular relation to accommodate this adjustment 2e l fhile any suitable adjusting means may be provided, prefer to support the outer end of each bar 12 upon a hand wheel 1% ted upon an adjusting screw 15 pivot-ed lower end as indicated at 16 to the It will thus be seen that by rotating); the wheels 14- at either side of the trough, one section of the trough may be swung up or down from the inner roller as an axis, so that the up vard inclination 0t the trout-h sides may be either very steep or gradual, according to the dill'erence between the angles of repose of the materials to he sepa at-ed.

ll. he belts 2 and 3 may be driven in any i lllltl', as for instance, by the appower to a band wheel 1.? fixed plication i:

to the roller '4', the roller 5 being driven from the roler '7 through the medium of a crossed belt 18 passed around pulleys 15) lined to said rollers. lit is to be understood,

lunvever, that the belts or aprons 2 and 3 may be driven in various other ways, the gearing shtnvn being selected merely for illustrative purposes. @l course, where this character of driving mechanism is employed in practice, a belt tightener of usual construction, not shown, will be employed to take up the slack created in the belt 18 by the relativ adjustu'ient of the trough sections.

is the upper outer corner of the section 2 is lo ated the discl'iaroe end of a feed chute 20 whereby the material to be sepd is fed to the trough. litthe lower 85 end the trough 's located. a coal chute 21, which may be div. led into a middle section 21 located at the center of the trough, and the side se tlOllS 21 anc 21 located beyond. the oppo as of the middle section to 0 receive l t grades of material, it being understood that the coal at the center Oili the stream will be comparz'itively pure, but will be more bony in character toward the outer edges of the stream, since the angle of repose of the latter is son'iewhat $5 greater than that of the pure coal, al though not suiliciently great to allow it to be carried out oi the main stream and over the edges of the trough.

Ali-mgr the outer edges of the trough and in a plane below the same are slate chutes adapted to receive the slate or other nut-- terial carried upwardly out o the main stream in directions transverse thereto by the outward movement of the trough seelions.

firttention is directed to the fact l their inner edges in overla niint, i. This is considered a particijilarly desirable 8O feature of the present constructnm, for the 'eason that in ordvr to employ endless tions or belts, rotary inner supports must be provided, and if these supports are located in the same horizontal plane, a deep gutter having steep sides would nece, .ily extend along the entire length of the re at its center, and as the angles or the side" ol this gutter would be much great-er tlnn. the angle oil repose of any portion of th material, no u'laterial which reached the gutter, would be carried out of the same of the upward movement oi the belts. ranging the belts .in overlapping; lelitlllflll, however, and by feeding; the material to the as upper section first, said upper section will serve to carry considerable portion of the slate away trom. the main stream hetero the slate drops below the lower edge oi said 7 l 1 J. V w i section, and any slate which does, as a inactor of fact, reach the extreme bottom of the ied trtmgh with the coal, will be c; vardly out of the main stream by the section 3, the surface oii which is tial to it point of intersection with th under side o L'yn,

nolo w er the section 2. I is not absolutely necessa however, that the inner rollers :l: and (3 should be disposed one above another, though this tillttiW'QlllQilh is perhaps desi1- able since it facilitates the :uliustmeut of the trough sections. In 2, for instance, I have shown, diagrammatically, a mediied arrangement, which consists in pass' apron 3 around rollers 23 and 2t. passing; the belt or apron 2 around an outer 11o roller and around comp inner r llers and 27, se quite si'nall, and the roller 9 directly above a, similar re llO hold said apron in close con' under side of the roller 26 for between the belts.

In Fig. l have shown a troughs 1 and 1., or what may multiple trough. Each. of thes constructed, operated, and supporter substantially the same manner as the trough 1 heretofore described. The trough 1 however, is located beyond the lower end of the trough l and in a somewhat lower plane, so that the side chutes 22 which receive the slate from the outer edges of the trough 1 may be discharged upon the trough 1 adjacent to the upper outer corners thereof. 'lhus, the trough l will effect a separation similar to that described in connection with a trough 1. The main stream of coal, however, instead of passing to chutes, will pass to the trough l where it will receive a further separation, the slate which may have been carried with the stream of coal from the trough 1 being carried outwardly by the sections of the trough 1*. Furthermore, the slate deposited in the side chutes 22 from the trough 1 will be deposited upon the trough 1* at points removed from the main screen, so that the slate will be caught and carried outwardly before it reaches the main stream, while any coal which may have been deposited in the side troughs 22 with the slate will gravitate back to the main stream, passing over the trough 1 Thus, it will be seen that both the material composing the main stream, and the material removed from the main stream will be subjected to successive separations and these separations may be continued indefinitely by providing additional troughs.

In Fig. i I have shown a modified arrangement which consists in disposing troughs 1 and 1 one above another. In this case the main stream is carried from the trough l to suitable chutes as shown, while the material separated, to wit, the slate is deposited in side troughs 22 which are revcrsely inclined so as to carry the slate from the trough 1 to the upper end of the trough 1, whereon it is subjected to a separation for the purpose of releasing any coal which may have been carried out of the main stream with the slate by the trough 1.

In conclusion, I wish it to be understood that while each trough is shown to be longitudinally inclined, and each section thereof inclined t'ansversely, the longitudinal inclination is not absolutely essential, since the passage of the main stream may be effected either by gravity as here contemplated, or by any other instrumentality, so far as the invention in its broader aspects is concerned. The only thing essentially deinauded by the principle of operation is that the materials shall be separated by reason of their frictional differences or their different angles of repose through the medium of a separating surface or floor, resisting the withdrawal from the stream of that portion of the material having the least angle of repose, and permitting the withdrawal of that portion having an angle of repose sufficiently great. It should also be understood that while the illustrated embodiments of the invention are thought at this time to be preferable, I reserve the right to effect such changes, modifications, and variations of the illustrated structures as may come fairly within the scope of the protection prayed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters-Patent is l. A separating apparatus including a pair of endless floors oppositely inclined to form a trough, and having their inner edges overlapped, the adjacent portions of such floors being in proximity, presenting a substantially continuous surface, and supporting and simultaneously acting upon a given body of material passing thereover.

2. A separating apparatus including a pair of endless floors oppositely inclined transversely and having their inner edges overlapped, the adjacent portions of such floors being in proximity, presenting a substantially continuous surface, and supporting and simultaneously acting upon a given body of material passing thereover.

3. A separating apparatus including a trough having oppositely inclined endless side sections and swinging supports for said sections, such sections overlapping each other at their inner edges and constituting acontinuous trough with dissimilar sides arranged to travel in opposite directions.

4:. A separating apparatus including a trough comprising endless side sections, adjustable swinging supports for effecting the vertical adjustment of the outer edges of said sections, said sections overlapping and presenting a substantially continuous surface, a portion of one side of the trough being abrupt as compared with the opposite side, and means for moving the floor sections in opposite directions.

5. A separating apparatus including atrough comprising a pair of transversely inclined endless side sections, said sections overlapping and presenting a substantially continuous surface, a portion of one side of the trough being abrupt as compared with the opposite side, inner and outer rollers supporting said sections, adjustable swinging supports for effecting the vertical adjustment of the outer rollers, and means for driving the rollers to effect the movement of the floor sections in opposite directions.

6. In a separating apparatus, a trough comprising transversely inclined, overlapping, and oppositely movable side sections, and a chute for discharging in separate streams material following parallel paths A an t through the trough, said chute comprising :1 portion hitting a cross section curved tr-(mmsrseiy and conforming substantially with the cross section of the overlapping sections, and :1 portion having a flat bottom extem tin lengthwise of the chute.

in testimony, that I claim the foregoing "apies 0f this may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Qornmissioner 01E 'Ezrtents,

"Washington, D. *8.

as my own, I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two wltn s.

WVALLACE S. AYERS.

Witnesses:

Emmi; R. Fmumm H. C. GLIE'M. 

